Great-grandmother 'savagely' attacked by dog at supermarket

A Ballina woman has been attacked by a dog at a local supermarket car park.Contributed

THE last thing a local woman expected was to be bitten by a dog which was inside a parked car at a Ballina supermarket.

The incident happened on February 23, but the 76-year-old from Ballina, who doesn't want to be identified, has chosen to tell her story following the recent spate of dog attacks around the state.

The dog that attacked the great-grandmother "savagely" was inside a parked car and put its head through the open window to bite the woman as she walked close to the vehicle.

She's not sure of what kind of dog it was.

"I went into a state of shock, crying and shaking," said the woman who has been a dog-owner in the past.

"Had I known there was a dog in the car, I wouldn't have walked that way.

"But I shouldn't have to worry about that.

"I'm angry because I feel I should be able to go out in a public space and not be accosted by an aggressive dog.

"Everybody would feel that way, I'm sure.

"People always say 'my dog wouldn't do that', but how do they know?"

She said the dog had been left alone in the car by its owner.

She had to receive a tetanus shot at Ballina hospital and also antibiotics for the puncture wound on her right forearm, and said she was lucky the dog didn't "bite a whole piece out of my arm".

She said the injury has yet to heal fully.

The woman reported the incident to Ballina Shire Council.

She had taken photos of her injury, the dog and the vehicle.

A spokesperson for council said the dog owner was issued with a penalty infringement notice of $220.

Also, the dog owner was issued a formal warning letter for the dog behaviour and future management of the dog.

The shopping centre attack came after the release of NSW Office of Local Government figures that Ballina Shire Local Government Area had the most number of reported dog attacks in the region for the period July 1 to September 30 last year, with 30 attacks.